Polymer chemistry, textbook

For writing Chapters 11 and 12 on the two recent topics, living/controlled radical polymerization and polymer synthesis by click chemistry, which have not yet made a signi cant appearance in polymer chemistry textbooks, I have depended exclusively on original articles that appeared, especially in the last ten years, in many reputed journals. Most of the articles have, however, appeared in journals published by the American Chemical Society and John Wiley Sons. I am gratefnl to them for granting permission to reprodnce some material in the book from these jonmals. 

As already mentioned, several polymer chemistry textbooks claimed that polymerization of y-BL and/or its ring opening at ambient conditions is not possible. 

M. C. Cowie, Polymers Chemistry and Physics of Modern Materials, International Textbook Co., 1973. 

BiLLMEYER, F. w., Textbook of Polymcr Science, 3rd edn, Interscience, New York (1984) cowiE, J. M. G., Polymers Chemistry and Physics of Modern Materials, 2nd, edn, Blackie, London (1991)... 

Cowie, J.M.G., Polymers Chemistry and Physics of Modem Materials, Int. Textbook, Aylesbury, 1973. 

The College and University Faculty Directorate has been offering hands-on polymer chemistry demonstrations and experiments workshops for faculty for nearly a decade. In addition to this active program, the Directorate also oversees the Curriculum Development Award as well as the Textbook Author Program. Both of these programs are targeted toward increasing the availability of curricular materials in the polymer area. 

Billmeyer, F. W. Jr., Textbook of Polymer Chemistry, 2nd edition, Wiley New York, 1984, Chapter 18. 

In this section, the important concepts related to the formation of hydrogels by free radical copolymerization/cross-linking are examined. Greater depth beyond the scope of this chapter can be obtained from textbooks on polymer chemistry and the papers cited herein. As stated earlier, almost all gels produced from monomers for pharmaceutical applications are synthesized by free radical chain polymerizations. 

How much detail does a student need to know and how much detail should a textbook then contain This is an almost unsolvable problem because of the diversity of students and their analytical needs. The majority of students will eventually move on into special fields in (bio)chemistry, molecular or systems biology or polymer chemistry. For them mass spectrometry will only be one of the commodities to help them solve their problems, which are defined by their field of activity, not the analytical technique. How much of the basics in mass spectrometry will they need to know Again, this depends on the problem at hand. For many a routine application of commercial instalments and the manufacturers manuals will suffice. However, if the problem is not routine the analytical technique cannot be either. Mass spectrometry is and, most probably, will remain a rather complex technique. To fully exploit its tremendous potential, but, equally important, to avoid its many pitfalls, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and the technology will be mandatory. This book will, hopefully, help students to lay the basis for this expertise and, once the need arises, allow them to go back to the more specialized literature at a later time. It is in this sense that I hope this book will be a real help to many of them. 

While a number of introductory or comprehensive texts dealing with polymer chemistry were written, the most influential was probably Paul J. Flory s textbook "Principles of Polymer Chemistry", published in 1954. No prior knowledge of polymers was assumed with particular chapters directed at the beginner. It also contained much information useful to the experienced investigator. A wealth of experimental data was included to illustrate the applicability of the presented concepts and conclusions. Admittedly missing are topics related to the mechanical properties of polymers and to the application of polymers in industry - i.e. fabrication, synthesis, etc. Even so Flory s text is a landmark book in science. 

Flory, P. J., Principles of Polymer Chemistry, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1953. (Undergraduate level. A classic textbook by a pioneer in the field.)... 

Much useful information on these and related polymers is given by F. W. Billmeyer, Jr., A Textbook of Polymer Chemistry, Wiley-lnterscience, New York, 1957 J. K. Stille, Introduction to Polymer Chemistry, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1962 F. Bueche, Physical Properties of Polymers, Wiley-lnterscience, New York, 1962 W. R. Sorenson and T. W. Campbell, Preparative Methods of Polymer Chemistry, Wiley-lnterscience, New York, 1961. 

Ithaca, New York Cornell University Press, 1953) F.W. Billmeyer, Jr., Textbook of Polymer Chemistry (New York Interscience Publishers, 1957). The later edition of Bill-meyer s book was entitled Textbook of Polymer Science (1962). 

Ironically, the field of polymers, so central to each of our lives, is woefully neglected in our science curricula at all levels. High school and college chemistry textbooks often tuck a token section or chapter near the back. Rarely are polymeric molecules presented as examples during the coverage of the usual topics. Most students, science majors or not, have an extremely poor understanding of the many essential ways polymers affect their lives. 

Polymer chemistry is definitely a growth industry, but most chemistry teachers have had few polymer chemistry or materials science courses even at the college level. This textbook gives a teacher a thorough introduction to the chemistry of polymers, both synthetic and natural. Moreover it is easy to understand and enjoyable to read. 

I would like to suggest ways in which you can use this book in the classroom. An obvious way is that you can use this textbook as just that—a textbook in an elective polymer chemistry course. You could us it as a textbook in an advanced placement chemistry course during those weeks between the AP examination and the end of school. 

The subject of the kinetics of vinyl polymerization by radical mechanisms is treated exhaustively in a book by Bamford, et al. (4) and more briefly in many textbooks of polymer chemistry. The polymerization of vinyl monomers is a chain reaction in which the primary reactions are ... 

Ml he history OF LINEAR POLYSILOXANES dates back at least 116 years (i), and research activity in this area steadily accelerated during this period as synthetic methods improved and as the fundamental nature of polymers became clear. The industrial prominence of poly(dialkylsiloxane)s was a particularly strong impetus to the development of this field (2). Thus, a large body of literature has accumulated, which has been extensively reviewed. The reviews by Wright (3), Sigwalt (4), and Kendrick et al. (5) are excellent and current, whereas that by Voronkov et al. (6) covers the earlier literature. Siloxane polymerization has now become suflSciently commonplace, so that it is sometimes discussed in general textbooks on polymer chemistry (7). 

The reader is referred to a number of excellent textbooks on polymer science. These include (a) Bilirncycr, F. W. Textbook of Polymer Science, 3rd edn Wiley New York 1984. (b) Stephens, M. P. Polymer Chemistry An Introduction, 2nd... 

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